


Master of Masters identity theory

by Jerevinan



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Kingdom Hearts meta, Meta, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:02:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26508664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jerevinan/pseuds/Jerevinan
Summary: I've never posted any meta on AO3 before, but the title says it all: I have a theory about the Master's identity. I can't wait until I'm proven wrong, but until then, I'm going to ramble about this like an idiot~
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	Master of Masters identity theory

**Author's Note:**

> I first posted this [on tumblr](https://thehostilecredence.tumblr.com/post/629315803240595456/ill-be-taking-a-hiatus-from-social-media-aside) in a rough ramble a couple of days ago. Some of these thoughts have been rolling around in my head for more than just a few days but rather months, and I think I might've finally connected some pieces? But there are quite a few leaps here, too.
> 
> I don't have any means of making this into theory videos, so I've just been writing all my KH theories on google docs and sharing them with a few friends. I rarely post on tumblr or twitter about them. This time, I wanted to share somehow. I've been typing this up in google docs for a couple of days, so I'm going to share most of what I have so far.
> 
> I could be 100% wrong about all of this! Doesn't stop it from being fun to theorize. :)
> 
> Apologies if this isn't the most organized. My brain on KH is that meme of the guy with the conspiracy theory board.
> 
> There will be a few quotes/citations from the series, I'm pretty sure that's fine on AO3, but let me know if it isn't? I'll edit accordingly!

I’ve recently speculated that the Master of Masters hasn’t shown his face because he looks like an older version of Ventus and Roxas. I’m going to break down this theory and why I’m seriously considering it for now.

I do believe the Master of Masters is a separate character from Ventus and Roxas, and I’ll explain why all three look similar.

This theory relies heavily on other theories, like MoM being in juxtaposition to Darkness, in other words: Light.

MoM and Darkness are old enemies. I believe MoM took steps to fool the Darkness long before the events of Back Cover and Chi. In order to lead Darkness onto the path MoM carefully crafted for it, he wrote the Book of Prophecies inaccurately, knowing the book’s existence would be a tool in guaranteeing the future but would lie about many events in that same future.

As Luxu suspected, everything has been going according to the Master’s plan.

MoM wore a coat to protect himself from the darkness - and Darkness itself. He eventually disappeared, but I believe he might have disappeared sooner than even the Foretellers realize, using an illusion or hologram of himself to carry out actions and conversations on his behalf while he was gone. 

I believe he can use some sort of illusion or hologram for himself the same way he did so for the separate Disney worlds and the people that would one day live in them. His interactions seem very real to the people who engage with him, the same way key kids for their unions have no idea they are visiting places that do not yet exist and interacting with people who do not yet exist. 

The hologram or illusion may not have been enough to fool Darkness, however, just as Ephemer was correctly suspicious of the worlds.

This is where my theory comes in: He cloned himself, and that clone is Ventus. Maybe not a “clone”, exactly, but Ven becomes Darkness’ target because he looks like the MoM when they first clashed. Darkness might even be aware that this isn’t the “real” MoM, but Ven is biologically the same. Unlike a hologram or illusion, this clone contains a duplication of MoM’s significant light. Young, malleable light, that the Darkness is irresistably drawn to.

The reason I lean towards “clone” over something like a replica: the age difference between MoM and Ven, though I also think Ven has his own body that’s grown up like any other person, and he’s not using some kind of vessel. 

Does this mean Darkness hasn’t seen the MoM in a long time to recognize him - only his light - and possesses Ven without question? More likely, I think Darkness knows this is a biological replica, but it assumes if it takes over Ven, it will be able to access and manipulate a fraction of the same power MoM possesses.

Side note: I do believe MoM had capabilities beyond present-day research and technology, and while Vexen’s replicas were imperfect at first and only perfected through trial-and-error, MoM might have taken the knowledge with him. After all, MoM created the Chirithies, and every wielder in Daybreak Town had one, but why do we see none after that era? This is knowledge that perhaps was taken with MoM when he disappeared. That said? I don’t think MoM used a replica. Again, I think if MoM does look like an older Ven/Roxas, Ven is clearly much younger than MoM.

We haven’t had cloning in Kingdom Hearts, but I’m being influenced by one of my other favorite series. It also has two sides of a chess board game, where there’s a “God” and a “Devil”, and they have two imperfect clones. KH doesn’t have to stick to realistic cloning, either. 

Ven doesn’t have the same knowledge and experiences as MoM. Perhaps he was even kept sheltered, released into the world only when the time was right. After all, in the Chi novel, Ephemer doesn’t recognize Ven at all. ( _"Many keyblade wielders he would at least recognize by face, and you usually heard stories about the really exceptional ones, but Ven belonged to neither category." - Kingdom Hearts Chi light novel_ )

It might have been imperative to keep Ven locked up under certain conditions. Not only to protect him from Darkness (entity), but to ensure he remained filled with innocent, pure light/protect him from the normal darkness. This, too, was part of the Master’s plan. This also makes me think Darkness knows Ven is not the same as MoM. A careless child, filled with light, wanting to belong to a group of friends after being kept in isolation for his entire life? 

Ven was the perfect bait, but also the perfect tool. I’ll get into his role as a tool much later.

MoM’s disappearance includes parting ways with his heart. He has cast aside his seeing eye, why not his heart? I believe he stored it within the black box. When the time was right, Luxu would meet with the Foretellers (at the end of KH3) and summon MoM forward. They have memories of him, and he still has a heart. He can time travel to the present, and this will be the next step in his actions against Darkness. 

I have seen other theories similar to the thoughts I have had about MoM gathering the most powerful keyblade wielders forward. [I’ve heard this in damo279’s excellent video on MoM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azW_zrhz1-c), which is worth a watch. I believe this includes many of the other wielders we know, not just Sora and possibly Yozora. It might just be several of the characters we already know. Thanks to Ven’s heart inside of Sora, Roxas is a powerful duel-wielder. Riku can harness the power of both light and dark without succumbing to Darkness. Perhaps Melody of Memory will give us insight into Kairi’s growth and role. Surely she’s to become quite powerful, too. 

If anyone can think of reasons for other characters, I would love to hear them, but I’m going to go into detail about Roxas and Naminé.

Remember when Nomura said that Roxas was the biggest secret for KH3? A lot of people later dismissed this as him not being much of a secret at all, but I suspect this secret involved clues hidden within the game, not Roxas’ presence.

I want to talk about Roxas’ zipper. This is the numeral “4” in the KH universe. It is also seen in other worlds, such as Olympus. I think Roxas has a greater role and connection. I’ve also always wondered why “The Other Promise” and “Another Side, Another Story” play in the credits of Back Cover. These songs are associated with Roxas. I do not think this is a coincidence, and I do not think it is a coincidence that in the KH3 secret ending, we hear “Another Side, Another Story”, and not long after, MoM appears at the end.

Roxas isn’t just the nobody that was created from Sora and Ven. He doesn’t just have parts of MoM inherited through Ven. Because Ven holds Darkness, Roxas inherited something from it as well.

Roxas might be one of the ultimate wielders needed for the final battle against Darkness. To use parts of Darkness against itself. 

I believe this applies to Naminé, and I have for a while now - at least the bit about Darkness. I’ve theorized for a few months now that Naminé’s powers over memories come from Darkness doing the same to Ven, and I believe that she, too, is about to fulfill a great role within this story. I also suspect she’ll get her own keyblade soon enough.

Sora inherited the ability to use a keyblade from Ven’s heart inside of him. If Ven got that power by being a duplication of the Master, he has been a tool in creating an entire lineage of powerful keyblade wielders. Sora, too, was born with great light, and that light saved Ven. When Sora became a Heartless and Roxas and Naminé were born from that moment. Even without this connection, I’ve always thought she would join the others in wielding her own keyblade.

I’ve also wondered if the meeting with Young Xehanort and MoM - or rather, what I believe to be his hologram/illusion - is what helped draw a much older Xehanort to young Ventus when he first encountered him. I know other reasons have already been given (Ven’s light and darkness), but what if facial recognition played a role? It’s something that has crossed my mind, at least, but I do want to back up my belief that MoM during that meeting in Remind is actually a hologram/illusion.

I also want to talk briefly about Vanitas. His Void Gear keyblade has stood out to me for a while, and his chess piece on the board was symbolized by a cog split in half. I strongly associate cogs with the clock tower in Daybreak, especially in the Master’s study. Void Gear also has a set of eyes, similar to other keyblades, but I’m going to refrain from making any connections with that - especially when we have other keyblades with eyes in them, such as the Foretellers’ keyblades.

I have some other points I want to make, but I’m not sure how I want to write and approach them, and I don’t even know how sharing this will go. Thank you for reading.

**Author's Note:**

> If you read all that, thank you, and feel free to share your thoughts. I have several chronic illnesses, so if I don't reply for a few days, please understand that I'm quite low on spoons. It's awesome of you to engage in this at all.
> 
> I always wanted the MoM to be a separate character, and the same goes for Xehanort or Yozora (please don't be Player, please don't be Player), but this kind of means he still is his own character. He just...is the original source.


End file.
